In most sectors wages/benefits are the biggest expense. But when you&#8217;re talking about military hardware that can cost millions or even billions per unit, I can see how it might be possible. Building one fewer stealth bomber would free up a lot of money for other uses (2.1 billion per craft, including development).

America currently spends almost as much on its military as the rest of the world combined. So we can probably afford to cut some spending there. But it should be done with care as much of that money does provide jobs, even if the sheer quantity of funds isn't necessary for security.

Given that we love to guarantee the World's relative peace, our supposed expenditure's make sense.

Frankly, the more hardware the better. A military isn't just a man out there, it's his weapons and equipment as well. Tell me, will MRAPs keep coming out (just an example) at the expense of other parts of our fighting capability?

I think we should cut social programs before we cut anything military. The latter at least achieves real results.

Given that we love to guarantee the World's relative peace, our supposed expenditure's make sense.

Frankly, the more hardware the better. A military isn't just a man out there, it's his weapons and equipment as well. Tell me, will MRAPs keep coming out (just an example) at the expense of other parts of our fighting capability?

I think we should cut social programs before we cut anything military. The latter at least achieves real results.

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MRAPs would be an example of where we shouldn't cut corners as that would counter where most of our casualties are. When you're fighting insurgencies, however, another stealth bomber isn't going to be a huge asset. More hardware isn't always necessary, particularly for our present needs.

As far as deterrence goes, our nuclear arsenal alone is enough for any sane enemy. And no arsenal will deter an insane one. I'd be fine with us spending slightly more than the EU I suppose, but that's less than half of our current rate. Our military is great, but there's always diminishing returns and you can't have a part of the government get a blank check for anything.

While we are fighting insurgencies, that is no reason to ignore conventional strike capabilities.

I think we can cut expeditures in other gov't programs first....perhaps leaving Europe to bankroll their own security would be a good idea. You might see their military spending go up, and their social programs go down, and they might do better for it.

Food Stamp Cuts Would Hit Military Families...Proposed Food Stamp Cuts Would Hit Military Families24 May 2017 | Thousands of military families would be impacted by President Donald Trump's proposal for major cuts to the food stamp program.

President Donald Trump's proposals to cut eligibility for food stamps would hit hard on thousands of military families who receive the benefit, the Pentagon said Tuesday. "It's a very unfortunate situation," Army Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Ierardi, the Pentagon's Joint Staff Director for force structure, readiness and assessment, said of the difficulties of troops who have to resort to food stamps.

Ierardi did not immediately have an estimate on how many troops were on food stamps but said he had personally dealt with the problem of families struggling to meet their dietary needs in a previous post as a division commander. He said the military would seek to mitigate the impact on families if the proposed cuts to the food stamp program were approved by Congress. Amy Bushatz of Military.com last year cited a report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office which said that the Department of Defense lacked the data or coordination with other federal agencies to keep an accurate track on how many troops were receiving food stamps.

Shoppers at the Fort Drum commissary.​

The report found that about 23,000 active duty service members received food stamps in 2013, according to U.S. Census data. In addition, information from the Department of Defense Education Activity showed that in September 2015, 24 percent of 23,000 children in U.S. DoDEA schools were eligible for free meals, while 21 percent were eligible for reduced-price meals. "While it is known that service members use food assistance programs and that information on recipients can be obtained, specific data on service members' use of these programs are not available because there is no requirement or need that has been established for agencies" to collect the information, the GAO report said.

In a White House briefing Monday on the budget, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney indicated that the Trump administration was ready to press a crackdown on eligibility for food stamps and other benefits as part of sweeping cuts on federal anti-poverty programs. Mulvaney said that more low-income Americans would need to work to qualify for benefits. "If you are on food stamps, and you are able-bodied, we need you to go to work," Mulvaney said, although members of the military now eligible for food stamps already have a full-time job in defense of the nation. "We believe in the social safety net" in the Trump administration. "We really do," said Mulvaney, a former Republican representative from South Carolina who was a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

Trump Budget Calls for 2.1% Military Pay Raise in 201823 May 2017 | President Donald Trump's first budget proposal included a 2.1 percent pay increase for military troops in fiscal 2018.

President Donald Trump's first defense budget proposal Tuesday included a 2.1 percent pay hike in 2018 as part of an overall plan that appeared to fall short of his campaign pledge to fund a "historic" rebuilding of the military.

Airmen group huddle at the conclusion of the Police Week Memorial 5K Ruck March at Yokota Air Base, Japan​

The pay request topped the proposal by the administration of former President Barack Obama for a military pay hike of 1.6 percent for next year, but was the same as the increase enacted by Congress for the current year. The raise would translate into about $50 more per month for enlisted troops with four years of service and about $115 a month for officers with six years, according to Military Times.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said the Defense Department's baseline budget proposal of $603 billion unveiled by the White House Office of Management and Budget and fleshed out by the Pentagon did not offer significantly more than Obama had initially proposed for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and would face a major overhaul in the House and Senate.

Walmart announces guaranteed pay for military workersMay 24, 2017 — Walmart wants to make sure its employees who take time off to serve in the military never have to take a pay cut.

The company on Tuesday announced a new pay policy for all full-time and part-time workers who leave for voluntary or involuntary military assignments. Walmart’s pledge is to cover the difference in pay any time an employee’s military salary is less than what he or she makes working at the store. So even when a worker is on a military assignment, they’re now guaranteed to earn at least as much as they would working as a civilian at Walmart. The policy covers any military assignment longer than three days.

The company already offers differential pay to some active service members. But this policy change vastly expands the existing program, and it now covers employees who want to do “voluntary services,” which includes basic training. Walmart says it will become “one of the first major retailers” to offer such comprehensive coverage. Walmart said the policy will now allow employees who are thinking about enlisting in the military “to do so without fear of losing wages during training.”

Gary Profit, a former Brigadier General in the armed forces who is now director of military programs at Walmart, said the “lion’s share” of Walmart workers who leave for military duty would take a pay cut without the program. Soldiers don’t typically draw a large salary, especially those who are newly enlisted. On its website, the U.S. Army says that soldiers with less than two years of experience make about $19,200 per year, or about $9.23 per hour. And the Army says that pay is slightly lower for the first four months of service.

Walmart, meanwhile, has increased its pay in recent years after it was targeted by Fight for $15, a grassroots movement that lobbies for higher minimum wages. In February 2016, the company boosted its minimum wage to $10 per hour from $9. Walmart said this week that its full-time workers now make an average of $13.60 per hour. The company’s maximum hourly wage is $24.70. Walmart is also in the middle of a massive push to hire veterans. The company has promised to hire 250,000 veterans who have been honorably discharged from service by the end of 2020. Profit, Walmart’s director of military programs, said the company has already hired 170,000 veterans since 2013.

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